Attachment for container carriers



Jan; 22, 1935.

F. K. FILDES ATTACHMENT FOR CONTAINER CARRIERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledAug. 10, 1933 v INVENTOR: Fmdvrwk 1t -fiZ/das, BY W ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 22, 1935. F. K. FILDES 1,988,651

ATTACHMENT FOR CONTAINER CARRIERS Filed Aug. 10, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2@Zf/ 1 J08 I I llllllllln 2f INVENTO R: Wraiariok YLFLM w,

BY W

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 22, 1935 I UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFF-ICE ATTACHMENT FOB, CO TAI ER omnnzns Frederick KiFildes,Almeria, a. Application A gl a 10;, 1933, Serial; No. 684,485

v 5 Clwims.

invention relates: to container. c rt suchas railway-cars, motor trucksor trailers, and more specifically .to attachments for holdin acontainer against. shifting while it rests on the arrieryyetfacilitating its removal ,incident to the raising of the. container fromits seat.,..1n certain respects the invention represents an improvementupon thetype of container carrier disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No.1,845,594,'granted to me on February 16, 1932. I

One object of the invention is to. provide at.- tachments for acontainer carrier characterized by seating abutments effective toprevent both lateral and longitudinal shifting of.,a containe andmovable to positionsabove and beneath the container supporting surfaces.1* 4 I Another object of the invention is to provide attachments of suchcharacter affording adequate clearanceabove the floor of the carrier forthe, insertion of, a lift truck, or other container transfer apparatus,below. the individual contain rs whereby they maybe readily removedfromthe carrier to'an adjacent platform orvehi le. .13:

. Still another object of the inyentionistheprovision .of acontaineroarrier embodying the above features-and yet having asubstantially unob-J, structed floor jspace wherebythe carriergmaybereadily converted to ,otheruses than for the car riage of containers.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will .become'more fullyapparent from the .description hereinafter set forth of one embodimen orexample of my invention, having reference to the accompanying drawings,whereof:

- Fig. I represents a part side elevation of a rail: way flat car fittedwith attachmentsof my in: vention with certain partsbroken away to.better disclose important details. i

Fig. II represents anenlarged' cross secti on of the same, taken asindicated by the, lines :II,I,I ofFig.I. o I

Fig. III represents an enlarged plan view of one individual containersupporting attachment showing its relation to the corners of twoadjacent containers. 1

'Fig. IV represents a perspective view of :the

container supporting attachment. u

Fig. V represents a perspective view-ofx'onesnf the movableshift-restraining abutments; and,

Fig. represents a perspective view of aiocking -pinassociated witheach'container support ing attachment. j 1

Withparticular reference to Fig. I of the drawings, the numeral 1designates, comprehensively,

a portion of a railroad flat car, and 2 the support- (o1. us es) in-g;fi0or org-platform thereof.; jAt spaced inter valsalong the'side sills3,"I dispose a seriesofcontainer supporting attachments comprehensivelydesignatedatd, 4 and in View of thefact that the several units areduplicates of one another, exceptingthe end ones 4', the followingdescription is limited to an ;explanation of one individual' attachment,thereby avoiding repetition.' r I Each supporting attachment 4, theillustrated example of-my invention, is in the formof a sub-. stantiallyrectangular casting and includes'parallel top and -loase surfaces 5, 6,respectively. I The base surfaces 6, together with a depending verticalfiangefl and an inw dly p o ec ng. r

zontal flange 8, are secured by rivets to the underframe at thesidesills 3 of the car, Each support ing attachment. 4 has upstandin arms 9,11 and is interiorlyrecessed in the spaces between these arms.

which supports a pair ofswinging abutments '13 .hereinafter moreparticularly described.

tral rib 15, and there are holes 16, 17 at the sides d of theattachment, and a part circular cavity 1 8 in the central rib 15, whichholes are adapted to accommodate a locking pin 19, the latter elementbeing removable and serving to maintain the swin ing abutments 13inraised position.

most clearly; illustrated in Fig. V, each swinging abutment 13 isgenerally in the form of a hook having a bearing 20 fitting on the pivotpin 12 and having .a heel 21 adapted to engage the bottom'of acontainer, such as representedat 22. Each swinging abutment 13 has aflatsurface 23 which, when containers are seated on the car, assumes asubsantially horizontalposition aplproximating the level of theadjacent.top surface 5 .of the supporting attachment 4. Above the flat surface23 of each container seating abutment .13 are upstanding members 25, 26,one such member .25;extending transversely of the car platform 2.and'the other member. 26 extending longitudinally of s the car platformoutside the side sill 3. Theiupstanding members 25, .26 together defineabutments 13 are in the raised position they are Through holes inthe'upper ends of H the arms 9, 10, 11 there extends a pivot pin 12effective to: prevent both lateralv and longitudinalshiftingiof acontainer. There are four Swinging abutments 13 for each container to becazrriedjon the car, and inanrobvious manner each set of four'abutments.definesa rectangular. seat." for accommodating the base of a container.

The end attachments 4' inmost respects structurallyconform with theforegoing description of ward by gravity into the recessed interior ofthe abutment 4, 4" as indicated in dot and dash lines at the lefthand-of liigqII. The short heel 21 of the swinging abutment enables thesame to recede automatically into therecessed interior of the supportingattachment d assoon as .the'container has been raised a short distanceabove the container supporting surfaces 5. f

The locking pins 19 are utilized for fthevpure. pose of temporarilymaintaining the swinging abutments 13 in raised position preparatory tothelcwering of a. container onto the car platform-=2. locking pin -:is=pjrereram con structed as shown in Fig. VI and'hasat one end an eye28'by means of which it is attached to the "end ofa chain 29 and thusprotected against loss.- The opposite endfof the locking pin'19 isslotted and provided with a swinging keeper 30 which holds the.'lockingpin in place when it is insertedthrough the-openingslfi, 17 of thesupporting attachment 4. As the locking pin 19 passes through the hole'16 tl1e, keeper 30 swings upward and then downward automaticallylocking itself against dislodgment. At the openings 17 in the upstandingarm 11 of the supporting attachment 4 there isprovided a recess 31 of asize sufticient to accommodate the'keeperBO. The recess 31 allowsthelocking pin 19 to' be withdrawn completely out of the way of bothswinging abutments 13 so as not to obstruct their movement, and yetpermits the locking pin to be retained within the attachment 4.

\ It will be' observed that each attachment 4, 4

affords elevated support for the bottom corners of two adjacentcontainers. The gap intervening bet'ween the-bottom'of 'a container andthe floor 2 of the container carrier permits a lift truck or otherhoistin'g'mea'ns to be inserted between the carfloor and the containerwhereby the container may be removed from the carrier-onto an adjacentplatform or vehicle. It will also be'observed that when containers areseated on the swinging abutments 13- the load is not carried on thelockingpins'19 and these pins may be readily-reitainers 22 are to betransferred to the railway car by a lift truck, there is ordinarily none'ces sity of utilizing the locking pins 19. When"con tainers areseated on the car, the formation of.

the seating abutments 13 is such as to effectively prevent shifting inany direction, and there is no danger of-dislodgment of a container.

'-When it is desired to remove the containers 22 1 from the car 1,by'meansof a lift truck, if the locking pins 19 are in place they areshifted to the extreme outward position. Then when the lift truck raisesthe container 22 from the supporting surfaces 5, the abutments 13 arecaused to recede automatically by gravity into the interior recesses ofthe attachments 4, 1' with which they are associated. When a containeris to be raised and shifted by an overhead hoisting apparatus, it isnotnecessary to disturb the locking pins 19.

It is to be especially noted that the container carrier of my inventioncan be used with many types of container transferring apparatus, andthat inasmuch as the central floor space of the carrier is unobstructed,the carrier may also be at once converted to ordinary flat car use.

While I have described and illustrated one particular example of myinvention, it will be apthe annexedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

=1. In combination with a container carrier having-a substantiallyunobstructed central floor space,spacedattachments on the sides of thecarrier affording elevated support for a container, and seatingabutments movableonsaid supports, said abutments being effective toprevent both lateral and'longitudinal shifting of a' container, andbeing adapted automatically to recede below the container supportingsurfaces when a container is raised'theref-rom. T

2. In combination with a container carrier, spaced attachments above thefloor of the carrier afiording elevated support for a container, andseating abutments pivotally mounted on said supports and adapted torecede by gravity below the container supporting surfaces when acontainer is raised therefrom, said abutments having-upstanding membersdefining corners of a container seat and being effective to prevent bothlateral and longitudinal shifting of a container. 3.-In combination witha container carrier, spaced attachments above the floor of the carrieraffording elevated support for a container, seating abutmentspivotallymounted on said supports and .oif balance so as to recede bygravity when a'containe'r is raised therefrom, said abutments havingupstanding members defining corners of a container seat and beingeffective to prevent both lateral and longitudinal shifting ofacontainer, and means for locking said abutments in raised position. i V4 4. In combination with a' container carrier, spaced attachmentsmounted on the sides of the carrier, seating abutments pivotally mountedon said attachments an'd off balance so as to recede by gravity when acontainer is raised therefrom, said abutments having upstanding membersdefining corners of a container seatand being effective to prevent bothlateral and longitudinal shifting of acontainer, and locking pinsremovably inserted between the attachments aforesaid and the bottomsurfaces of the abutments for maintaining'the abutments'in raisedposition;

5. In combination with a container carrier, spaced attachments on thesides of the carrier, seating abutments in the form of hooksswingablymounted on saidfiattachments with their heels adapted to engage thebottom of a container, and 01f 'balance'so as torecede by gravity when acontainer-is raised therefrom, said abutments having upstanding wallsdefining corners-of a container seat, and means for locking saidabutments in raised position.

' FREDERICK K; FILDES;

